Construction to Begin on New Mental Hospital

Fulton, Missouri is home to the oldest mental hospital west of the Mississippi River and the only maximum-security facility in our state. Fulton State Hospital serves individuals with severe mental illness and sexually violent predators who cannot be treated at any other facility in Missouri. The facility’s state of deterioration now poses serious safety risks to staff and patients. The General Assembly authorized $198 million of revenue backed bonds to fund a new 300-bed hospital, and construction is set to begin this year.

Fulton State Hospital opened in 1851 and the current facility is far from up-to-date. The hospital’s kitchen equipment was taken from a decommissioned battleship used in the Korean War. Such an antiquated facility cannot adequately protect patients, staff, and the public or provide high-quality rehabilitation services to patients. The design for the new hospital was created after seeking input from staff and patients to ensure that the facility’s operational efficiency and safety outcomes will improve.

Front-line employees are placed in significant danger at the current hospital. Worker compensation costs at Fulton average $4 million each year, and employees who work in direct patient care for 30 years are statistically likely to be sent to the ER six times. These employees care for the most severely mentally ill patients in our state and deserve a secure working environment. Moreover, the structure is not energy efficient and requires additional security due to blind spots in the building. The hospital also has high overtime costs because it is hard to hire and retain staff in such a hazardous working environment.

Authorizing the construction of a new hospital required years of effort by department officials and legislators. The Appropriations – Health, Mental Health, and Social Services, which I chaired, heard testimony on the issue several times, and I appreciate legislators’ dedication to the project. Creating a safe facility to care for and rehabilitate Missourians with severe mental illness is a public investment that will benefit our state for decades to come.